Dolphin-shaped island: Exploring the natural resources and radiological hazards of Wadi El Gemal Island

Farrage M Khaleal; Mohamed A Tahoon; Gehad M Saleh; Mohamed S Kamar; Hesham M H Zakaly; Ibrahim H Zidan; Bandar A Al-Mur; Saad S Alarif; El Saeed R Lasheen

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115367

Dolphin-shaped island: Exploring the natural resources and radiological hazards of Wadi El Gemal Island

Mar Pollut Bull. 2023 Sep;194(Pt B):115367. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115367. Epub 2023 Aug 9.

Authors

Farrage M Khaleal¹, Mohamed A Tahoon², Gehad M Saleh¹, Mohamed S Kamar¹, Hesham M H Zakaly³, Ibrahim H Zidan¹, Bandar A Al-Mur⁴, Saad S Alarif⁵, El Saeed R Lasheen⁶

Affiliations

¹ Nuclear Materials Authority, P.O. Box 530, El Maadi, Cairo, Egypt.
² Ministry of Environment-Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency, Egypt.
³ Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Assiut Branch, 71452, Egypt; Istinye University, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Computer Engineering Department, Istanbul 34396, Turkey; Institute of Physics and Technology, Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg, Russia. Electronic address: h.m.zakaly@gmail.com.
⁴ Department of Environment, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia.
⁵ Department of Geology and Geophysics, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.
⁶ Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, P.O. Box 11884, Egypt.

PMID: 37567130
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115367

Abstract

The objective of this study is to assess the natural resources and radiological risks of Wadi El Gemal Island by examining its topography, mineralogy, geochemistry, and radioactive distributions. This island, which is situated at the outlet of Wadi El Gemal in Egypt's southeastern Desert, has a unique shape resembling a dolphin based on Landsat imagery. It's a part of the Wadi El Gemal-Hamata Protectorate and is notable for its diverse environmental, geological, economic, and archeological features, including recent reefs, sandy deposits, Quaternary carbonate sediments, and mangroves. The main natural resources on the island are fauna, mangrove forests, and flora. Samples collected from the island were analyzed using a NaI detector to measure the concentrations of radionuclides such as ²³⁸U, ²³²Th, ²²⁶Ra, and ⁴⁰K, which were found to be within acceptable levels according to UNSCAR guidelines. The radionuclide ²³⁸U, ²³²Th, ²²⁶Ra, and ⁴⁰K activity concentrations of the collected samples were 32.55 ± 9, 12.63 ± 4, 12.49 ± 4, and 325 ± 34 Bq/kg, respectively. Regarding radiological hazard indices, the values of absorbed gamma dose rate (36.06 ± 5.42 nGy/h), radium equivalent activity (73.88 ± 14.4 Bq/kg), annual effective dose indoor (0.18 ± 0.03 mSv/y) and outdoor (0.04 ± 0.01 mSv/y), internal (0.29 ± 0.05) and external (0.2 ± 0.03) indices, and excess lifetime cancer index (0.15 ± 0.05 × 10^-3).This is suggest that there is no significant risk associated with these sediments.

Keywords: Environmental risk assessment; Heavy minerals; Natural resources; Red Sea Island; Wadi El Gemal Island.

MeSH terms

Natural Resources
Potassium Radioisotopes / analysis
Radiation Monitoring*
Radioactivity*
Radioisotopes / analysis
Radium* / analysis
Soil Pollutants, Radioactive* / analysis
Spectrometry, Gamma
Thorium / analysis

Substances

gemals
Radioisotopes
Radium
Thorium
Soil Pollutants, Radioactive
Potassium Radioisotopes